Henning Larsen Architects has unveiled designs for the first phase of the “The Springs,” a mixed-use development currently underway in Shanghai that aims to embrace green living. Inspired by a style of traditional Chinese landscape painting called ‘shan shui,’ the Danish architecture firm crafted the buildings in the image of the dramatic, mountainous landscapes found throughout rural China. Trees and gardens will grow on top and around the stepped towers to create an immersive urban oasis of green. Developed for real estate company Tishman Speyer , The Springs is located on a 66-acre plot in Shanghai’s Yangpu district and will incorporate a mix of residential, commercial and retail. With a proposed 40 percent green ratio and a 33-acre wetland eco-park next door, the planned development embraces green living in both its surroundings and its design. At its core, Henning Larsen designed a series of terraced high-rises layered with greenery and clustered around a green public square to create a sheltered microclimate for improving air quality , reducing noise pollution and promoting natural light. “We wanted to create a protected environment in this city center that contributes to the potential for this development to become a new focus that generates and attracts public life in uptown Shanghai,” said Claude Bøjer Godefroy, design director and partner at Henning Larsen. “We understand sustainability in broad terms. It is important to offer people an environmentally friendly surrounding while at the same time developing a building that stages human interaction.” Related: MAD Architects-designed residences rise like mountains in a UNESCO Heritage site According to Tishman Speyer, The Springs will feature LEED Gold certification for the Core & Shell of the first phase. Public health will be promoted through a pedestrian-friendly design that boasts abundant open space and excellent transportation infrastructure.The Springs development broke ground July 12, 2018 and is slated for completion in 2020. + Henning Larsen Architects Images via Henning Larsen Architects

Dutch architecture practice UNStudio and Australian firm Cox Architecture have unveiled “Green Spine,” their proposal for the $2-billion Southbank Precinct overhaul in Melbourne, Australia. Selected as part of a shortlist that includes the likes of BIG and OMA, UNStudio and Cox Architecture have envisioned a twisting, greenery-covered high-rise for the 6,191-square-meter Southbank by Beulah site. The mixed-use development will be integrated into the urban fabric with a wide array of programmatic features and indoor-outdoor spaces. The twisting “Green Spine” refers to the landscaped space on the street level that appears to seamlessly flow upward to wrap around the two towers and culminates in the “Future Gardens” at the top of the residential tower. The low podium will comprise the majority of the mixed-use spaces and be open to both residents and the wider community. The podium will include a marketplace, retail, entertainment areas and a BMW experience center. The development’s various podiums will cater to the city’s temporary exhibitions and are flexible enough to accommodate different uses from art shows to festivals. “This multifaceted spine is created by the splitting open of the potential single mass at its core, thereby forming two separate high rise structures and causing them to reveal the almost geological strata of their core layers as they rise above a light-filled canyon,” explains UNStudio. “As a result of this design intervention, the towers that result on either side can enjoy porous city views and vastly improved contextual links. The orientation of the Green Spine enables an extension of the public realm on the podium, the continuation of green onto the towers and facilitates orientation to the CBD and the Botanical Garden at the top of the towers.” Related: UNStudio designs cocoon-like pavilion made of 100% recyclable materials The landscaped buildings are expected to mitigate the urban heat island effect, absorb noise and fight against air pollution . The “Green Spine” will be constructed with materials and textures local and native to Australia. The buildings’ high-performance glass facade follows passive design strategies, while external shading fins control solar gain. Energy and water usage will also be minimized wherever possible. + UNStudio + Cox Architecture Images via UNStudio

Comments Off on BIG completes an energy-efficient sculptural skyscraper in Shenzhen

Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group , the new home for the Shenzhen Energy Company has just reached completion in the business center of Shenzhen , China. Conceived as a new social and sustainable landmark in the heart of the city, the striking office development comprises two towers — one rising 220 meters to the north and the other to a height of 120 meters in the south — both of which are linked by a 34-meter-tall podium. Dubbed the Shenzhen Energy Mansion, the skyscraper is wrapped in an undulating facade that optimizes solar orientation while minimizing energy consumption. Created in collaboration with ARUP and Transsolar, BIG’s Shenzhen Energy Mansion design was selected the winner of an international design competition in 2009. Spanning an area of 96,000 square meters, this new headquarters for the Shenzhen Energy Company includes a pair of office towers and a mixed-use podium comprising the main lobbies, a conference center, a cafeteria and exhibition space. Circulation for visitors and workers are divided; the commercial spaces can be accessed through sliding glass walls on the north and south ends of the buildings while office workers enter from the front plaza to the lobby. Instead of the traditional glass curtain wall, BIG designed a pleated building envelope specially engineered to reduce solar loads and glare. Site studies and passive solar principles optimize the building’s orientation, which includes maximized north-facing openings for natural light and minimized exposure on the sunnier sides. Green roofs top the building. Related: BIG unveils designs for LEED-certified skyscraper in NYC “Shenzhen Energy Mansion is our first realized example of ‘engineering without engines’ — the idea that we can engineer the dependence on machinery out of our buildings and let architecture fulfill the performance,” said Bjarke Ingels, founding partner at BIG. “Shenzhen Energy Mansion appears as a subtle mutation of the classic skyscraper and exploits the building’s interface with the external elements: sun, daylight, humidity and wind to create maximum comfort and quality inside. A natural evolution that looks different because it performs differently.” + BIG Images by Chao Zhang

Comments Off on This sustainable district in Sweden features carbon-positive towers

Stockholm-based Kjellander Sjöberg Architects recently won a competition for Nacka Port, a new district between Nacka and Stockholm . Envisioned as a sustainable destination, the urban block would consist of a rich mix of programmatic functions including residential, retail and public spaces that are easily accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. In addition to new green space, the architects plan to insert “carbon positive” towers constructed from renewable materials that promote a healthy microclimate and sustainable lifestyle. Located between the commercial center of Sickla köpkvarter and the district of Hammarby Sjöstad, Nacka Port is ripe for redevelopment with its turn-of-the-century industrial buildings, such as the Klinten paint factory, and backdrop of greenery. Furthermore, the site is located at the intersection of two main traffic routes. The architects designed the new urban block, named “Klinten,” as a “city within a city” and an attractive destination for both residents and visitors at all hours of the day. Two proposed towers feature terraced levels that step down to a shared podium and anchor the site. The staggered glazed facades face the south and will have communal and private terraces dressed in greenery. In addition to residences, the mixed-use development includes a market, restaurants, a bike-cafe, coworking spaces, a hotel and gym, artist studios, workshops and other communal facilities. “The block is designed to generate local urban life, where one feels at home with the freedom to take personal initiatives, where residents are encouraged to use the outdoor environment for co-creation or just meet and socialize,” the architects said. Related: World’s first electric road that charges moving vehicles debuts in Sweden To engage users from multiple directions, the team surrounded the site with attractive green space and strategically located the buildings to maximize sight lines from the surroundings. “The core of the Nacka Port concept focuses on creating a positive vision of the future needs of both humans and our planet,” the architects said. “Nacka Port will be a place to connect and create an inspiring urban and sustainable lifestyle.” The planning process for the project has already started, and the official binding development plan is expected in 2020. + Kjellander Sjöberg Architects Via ArchDaily Images via Kjellander Sjöberg Architects

Comments Off on House of Food Culture in Copenhagen will bring together food lovers and cooking aficionados

The L-shaped building will occupy a prominent location on the tree-lined Frederiksberg Alle, one of the most significant historic avenues in the Danish capital. It will comprise two levels of public spaces dedicated to culinary experiences and food, and 30 new housing units above. Different types of housing for families, students and singles will be distributed across five brick townhouses, including that accommodating the House of Food Culture. Related: Copenhagen’s Tietgenkollegiet Dorm is the Coolest Circular Housing Complex on Campus This project – to be built on top of a new metro station in the city – will be realized in collaboration with Union Holding and NRE Denmark, who previously worked with COBE on transforming a tall historic grain silo in Denmark into housing and exhibition space . + COBE Architects

Comments Off on Aedas unveils mountainous mixed-use project built to look like a stack of books

Dubbed “Mountain City”, the mixed-use development references the region’s gorgeous landscape. The building gradually rises in a series of steps meant to look like a stack of books. The overall impression is of a series of mountain peaks rising in the center of the city. The project will comprise a sky cultural plaza, retail spaces , apartment, offices and a boutique hotel located in the Jiefangbei Central Business District, downtown Chongqing. Related: Pebble-shaped office building adds an icon of sustainability to Taipei Inside, the building will be anchored by a large bookstore. The tower will be connected to the existing urban fabric of the area, with three themed plazas and green terraces dominating its lower levels. The podium is expected to become a new cultural hub, while the sky cultural plaza offer s serene environment where people can relax. + Aedas Via World Architecture News

Comments Off on Repurposed Sydney brewery boasts a pioneering rooftop power plant

The project is part of A $2 billion scheme developed by Frasers Property and Sekisui House, which will include shops, a hotel, student housing and a public park . The metallic appearance of the plant contrasts with the existing brewery’s red brick facade. Related: Old slaughterhouse in Madrid is turned into an incubator for creative startups “The built form of the project needed to provide a memorable expression of this important new technology within the urban context while also meeting the demanding technical requirements of the cooling towers and enhancing the heritage significance of the buildings,” the designers said. The design firm added, “This project delivers significant community benefits through both the provision of a highly energy efficient method of supplying power as well as hot and cold water to a significant new mixed-use development on the fringes of the city as well as providing a model of how this new technology can be integrated with an important historic structure.” + Tzannes Via Dezeen Photos by John Gollings

Comments Off on Liberland may be the world’s first sovereign nation powered by algae

The winning proposal is a pedestrian-friendly design that supports a growing populace with stackable horizontal structures. Called Inverted Archeology, this groundbreaking technique constructs the city-state in consecutive temporal layers to form a self-sufficient, compact, dense, integrated and resilient urban fabric. Algae, strains of which don’t require significant sunlight to proliferate, would be grown on the underside of buildings to provide a clean source of energy . The design specifically creates an environment that is conducive to innovation, ensuring that all citizens – regardless of their ethnicity, race, age, gender or profession – have every opportunity to reach their full potential and participate collectively in financial gains. Related: The world’s first algae-powered building in Hamburg The RAW-NYC team led by Raya Ani comprised of an interdisciplinary group of collaborators from around the world, including – for full disclosure – the author of this post. “The team makeup and the design process was quite interesting and challenging at the same time,” Ani told Inhabitat. “To bring people together from different backgrounds substantiated our ideas and enriched the design process.” “The main vision was to balance density with quality of life. We wanted to address density differently than defaulting to skyscrapers, where connections between buildings occur only on the ground level. We wanted the city to be built one horizontal layer at a time, where it’s possible to walk everywhere and everything is connected. The horizontal layers are stacked in a staggered configuration to ensure natural light penetrates all of them.” Liberland president Vít Jedli?ka told Inhabitat that he and his team are studying whether a stackable algae-powered city design is feasible for Liberland. “We are blessed to have such great minds involved in creating Liberland, he said. “The winning design concepts show that the country can become a prosperous habitable area using [the] latest innovations in green technology to remain mostly self-sufficient. We will further study upon the 1st place project to see if and how exactly it could be introduced in reality. When that’s possible, we want to launch a virtual 3D landscape with building models to help people choose a place to live or to invest in. I congratulate all selected participants for their clever ideas representing the freedom Liberland stands for.” Sustainability played an important role in the RAW-NYC design. In addition to algae, buildings would feature integrated photovoltaic panels , rainwater harvesting systems and green roofs , and nothing would go to waste – neither space nor materials. Everything would be recycled, including all human, agricultural and organic waste, which would be converted into biofuel, and rooftop and community gardening would be scattered throughout, and floodable parks embrace rising waters. The Liberland design competition provided the opportunity of a lifetime – to design from scratch a progressive nation state that promotes innovation and autonomy. The RAW-NYC team used every available device to envision a genuinely sustainable, zero-waste urban oasis that will be resilient in the face of the numerous economic, environmental, and social challenges in the pipeline. + Liberland + RAW-NYC Architects